An Open Letter to the Residents of Venice from Proposed Abbot Kinney Hotel Developer: Part 2

I asked Dan Abrams, the developer of the proposed Hotel on Abbot Kinney, if he and his team would like to share their plans with the community here on Yo! Venice! back in October, as most of us cannot attend the various meetings in which such projects are discussed.

Tonight, the team proposing the hotel on Abbot Kinney will be making our 7th appearance before the Land Use and Planning Committee (LUPC) of the Venice Neighborhood Council (VNC). In total, it will be our 10th publicly noticed meeting spanning more than a year in our effort to solicit and respond to feedback from the community. In addition, we have conducted dozens of smaller meetings and hundreds of personal conversations at our Abbot Kinney Festival booth and in our daily work and social lives around Venice. We are submitting this post to bring Yo! readers up to date with the latest information about the proposed project, which has evolved through this dialog with the community.

Below is a summary of some of the facts of most interest below. Check our website and FAQ for more complete information.

• Room Count: 67 rooms and two apartments in the first phase. Assuming it’s successful, an additional 18 rooms will be added as a second phase, likely over 5 years later, for a total room count of 85, plus two apartments, down from 92 guest rooms plus four apartments in the previous proposal.

• 3 Stories: The project will be 3 stories tall and in context with other buildings on Abbot Kinney and Electric. (Proposed 4th floor removed). The Venice Specific Plan allows for maximum height of 30’ for a flat roof and 35’ for a varied or stepped back roof. The building’s maximum height of 32’11” is in compliance with these requirements by our understanding. We have applied for a less than 10% Height Adjustment (2’11”) if the City’s interpretation of the varied roofline code differs from ours. The final determination will be made by the City and we will comply with their ruling.

• No Variances or Exceptions: The project will no longer have Exceptions or Variances to Venice Specific Plan (VSP) or the Los Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC). The project will not seek a height or density Exception as previously proposed. The possible height adjustment referred to above is not an Exception or a Variance, it is an administrative city staff level modification.

• Less than 1% Traffic Increase: Traffic will be increased by less than 1% at peak times (25 new trips during morning rush hour, 41 in the evening rush hour). Traffic impact at these peak hours is less than other allowed uses of a retail and office development or retail and residential development.

• Truck Trips/ Loading: We have consulted with environmental and Hotel Operations consultants to better understand delivery and trash pickup impacts. We anticipate 4 additional trucks per week above current conditions. In addition, the project has done its best to mitigate increased truck traffic impact over what already exists on the property by tripling the size of the trash area, creating a double loading zone where none exists currently, and working to coordinate already existing deliveries.

• Hotel Use and Size Allowed: A hotel is allowed and actually a preferred use for the block according to the local Coastal Land Use Plan.

• Existing Buildings/Uses/Businesses: Joe’s and Primitivo, The Venice Place building, and Dr. Jerry’s Sculpture Garden WILL BE PRESERVED. The current outdoor space/courtyard will double in size, and the alleys and walkthroughs will be kept and expanded upon. The new Cook’s Garden will be relocated to the roof.

We continue to be committed to building a great hotel that becomes an integral part of the community and we look forward to continued meaningful dialogue with our friends and neighbors. Please contact us with your questions, concerns, or support. And please check out our website for additional information on the project, to find out more about the team, or to sign up to be kept informed and/or to offer support.

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